Brigid, also spelled Brigit, is a goddess from ancient Ireland before Christianity was introduced. She is part of Irish mythology and belongs to a group called the Tuatha Dé Danann. She is the daughter of the god Dagda and the wife of Bres. Together, they had a son named Ruadán.

Brigid is linked to wisdom, poetry, healing, protection, metalworking, and caring for farm animals. A book called Cormac's Glossary, written by Christian monks in the 9th century, describes Brigid as "the goddess whom poets adored." It also mentions she had two sisters: one known for healing and another for metalworking. This suggests Brigid may have been part of a group of three related goddesses. Some believe she is connected to a similar goddess in Britain named Brigantia.

Saint Brigid, a Christian figure, shares many traits with the goddess. Her feast day on February 1 was originally a festival called Imbolc. Some scholars think the Christian version of Saint Brigid may have been inspired by the goddess, and that Imbolc was originally linked to her.

Name

Middle Irish Brigit [ˈbʲɾʲiʝidʲ] changed over time into early modern Irish Brighid [bʲɾʲiːdʲ]. After a change in spelling rules in 1948, the spelling became standard as Bríd [bʲɾʲiːdʲ]. This name influenced many forms in European languages, such as Medieval Latin Brigida, which later became English Bridget, French Brigitte, Swedish Birgitta or Birgit, and Finnish Piritta.

The name comes from Proto-Celtic Brigantī, meaning "the high one" or "the exalted one." It is related to the name of the ancient British goddess Brigantia, with whom Brigid is believed to share a connection. It is also related to the Old High German name Burgunt and the Sanskrit word Bṛhatī (बृहती), meaning "high," which was an honorific for the Hindu goddess Ushas. The original source of the name is Proto-Indo-European bʰr̥ǵʰéntih₂, the feminine form of bʰérǵʰonts, meaning "high," derived from the root bʰerǵʰ- ("to rise"). Xavier Delamarre, citing E. Campanile, suggests that Brigid may be a continuation of the Indo-European goddess of dawn.

In early Irish literature

Sanas Cormaic (Cormac's Glossary), written by Christian scribes in the 9th century and based on older sources, includes information about Brigit. It describes her as a goddess honored by important poets and seers (called filí), and mentions that she had two sisters: one was the goddess of healing, and the other was the goddess of blacksmithing. All three were daughters of the Dagda. The text states:

"Brigit … the female seer or woman of insight, i.e., the goddess whom poets (filid) used to worship, for her cult was very great and very splendid. It is for this reason that they call her the goddess of poets by this title, and her sisters were Brigit the woman of healing, and Brigit the woman of blacksmithing, i.e., the goddesses. These three daughters of the Dagda are they."

This suggests that the name "Brigit" may have been a title used to describe a role or quality rather than a personal name.

The Lebor Gabála Érenn, first written in the 11th century, also refers to Brigit as a poetess and daughter of the Dagda. It mentions that she owned two oxen named Fea and Femen, after whom two plains were named: Mag Fea (a flat area near the River Barrow) and Mag Femin (a flat area near the River Suir). In other texts, these oxen are called the oxen of Dil, "radiant of beauty." The text also says Brigit owned a boar named Torc Triath, whose name is linked to the plain of Treithirne, and a ram named Cirb, whose name is linked to the plain of Cirb. These animals were said to make loud noises whenever theft or violence occurred in Ireland, suggesting that Brigit was a guardian goddess of domestic animals.

The Judgments of Bríg (Bretha Bríg), added to the Senchas Már (a collection of early Irish law writings) between the 8th and 9th centuries, describe changes to laws to better support women. These writings are attributed to a mythical figure named Bríg Brethach ("Bríg of the Judgments"), who is said to have been the wife of Sencha, a legendary judge and poet. In Ulster sagas, Bríg Brethach is part of a group of three women: Sencha's mother, Bríg Briugu ("Bríg the hostel-keeper"), and his daughter, Bríg Ambue ("Bríg the propertiless").

In the story Cath Maige Tuired, Bríg is the wife of Bres and the mother of Ruadán, whose name is connected to the word for "red." The text says she started the tradition of keening, a practice of singing and crying while mourning someone's death, after Ruadán's death. It also credits her with inventing a whistle used for traveling at night.

Brigid and Saint Brigid

Historians believe the goddess Brigid was combined with the Christian saint of the same name. Medievalist Pamela Berger explains that Christian monks took the ancient image of the mother goddess and connected her name and roles to the Christian figure, Brigid of Kildare. Stories about the saint’s life include many tales of miracles, some of which come from Irish pagan traditions. Dáithí Ó hÓgáin noted that the mix of the pagan goddess and Christian saint appears in some of the saint’s miracles, such as multiplying food, giving animals, controlling weather, and being linked to fire or hot springs.

Both the goddess and saint share many similar connections. Saint Brigid is considered a protector of healers, poets, blacksmiths, workers with livestock and dairy, and also serpents in Scotland and the arrival of spring. Kim McCone explains that Sanas Cormaic mentions three Brigids who were protectors of poetry and prophecy, healing and medicine, and metalworking. Saint Brigid is also connected to the poet Dubthach maccu Lugair, the doctor Áed mac Bricc, and the metalworker Conleth.

Fea and Femen, the oxen of the goddess Brigid, are linked to southeastern Ireland, where the ancient Brigantes tribe was located in the 2nd century. In Britain, the Brigantes were connected to the goddess Brigantia, whose name is similar to Brigid. Saint Brigid is closely tied to the province of Leinster in southeastern Ireland.

In the late 12th century, Gerald of Wales wrote that nineteen nuns kept a fire burning at Kildare to honor Saint Brigid, and this fire was said to have been burning since her time. Some believe this fire originally belonged to a temple of the goddess Brigit. The Roman goddess Vesta and the Greek goddess Hestia had fires tended by priestesses. Gerald described the fire as surrounded by a hedge that no man could cross without facing a curse.

Saint Brigid is connected to many holy wells and clootie wells in Ireland and Britain, where people leave small pieces of cloth or ribbons as part of healing rituals. Celtic healing goddesses, such as Sirona and Coventina, were often linked to sacred springs.

Some scholars, like Elva Johnston, argue that the importance of the pagan goddess has been overstated compared to the saint. Johnston wrote that the idea that the goddess came before the saint depends on three points: first, that Saint Brigit is not real, second, that stories about her life try to turn a pagan deity into a historical figure, and third, the belief that a goddess cult was more powerful for women in ancient and modern Ireland.

Saint Brigid’s Day is on February 1. It was originally called Imbolc, a festival marking the start of spring in Irish tradition. Because Saint Brigid is linked to the goddess Brigid, the festival of Imbolc is often connected to the goddess.

A hill on Venus named Brigit was chosen by the International Astronomical Union in 1985. Since rules for naming planets do not allow the use of figures from modern religions or national heroes, this name refers to the goddess, not the saint.

Neo-paganism

Brigid is an important figure for some people who practice modern pagan religions. These people focus on her triple aspect. She is sometimes worshipped along with Lugh or Cernunnos.